Forensic Laboratory 2030
Forensic Laboratory 2030 was originally published in Forensic Magazine as a four-part series between December 2012 and April 2013. 2014 Forensic Laboratory 2030 Copyright SmithGroupJJR 2013
Table of Contents Introduction 04 Scientific Environment 06 Investigation Activities 10 Physical Environment 14 Workplace Activities 18 Conclusion 20
What will constitute a modern forensic laboratory in 2030? From its physical manifestation to its legal and scientific mandates, the vision for the ideal forensic laboratory in 2030 will likely be dramatically different from the model of today. Forensic Laboratory 2030
Over a two year period, crime lab directors and managers throughout the country were polled by SmithGroupJJR with an online survey and personal interviews. The resulting data was collected and organized under the following four categories: 1. Scientific Environment. Identified future trends in laboratory organizational structure, effects of the 2009 National Academy of Sciences report, anticipated future challenges, influence on forensic facilities, and emerging technologies. 2. Investigation Activities. Explored laboratory investigation methods, advancement in automated technology, use of computers, electronic communication, and the effect of new procedures and equipment on lab practices. 3. Physical Environment. Compared influencing factors for laboratory configuration, casework systems, security protocols, specialty needs, and collaboration goals. 4. Workplace Activities. Focused on preferences in current lab design, vision for the ideal lab facility, sustainability and energy efficiency, staff amenities, and future challenges. 50% 40% Respondent Profile The following facility stats from participants reveals a representative range of demographics, facility sizes and ages, including historical and projected growth for staff and caseloads. Facility size (gross square feet) ranged from 8,500 GSF to 190,000 GSF with an average of 43,000 GSF; Facility age ranged from 5 years to 35 years with an average of 19 years; Staff increases over the last 10 years averaged 23% and are projected to grow 44% over the next 10 years; Caseloads (differentiated from actual tests) are projected to increase on average by as much as 33% over the next 5 years. While these and other collected metrics highlight general trends within the forensic community, it is important to note that every facility is unique to its own location and organizational structure there is no single facility which represents an idealized average or one-size-fits-all solution to the complex challenges within the forensic community the outcome of this survey illustrates the unique pressures and critical requirements that shape the Forensic Laboratory 2030. 40+30+30 Age Range of Current Facilities 5 yrs Size Range of Current Facilities 8K sf 18 yrs 43K sf 35 yrs 33+33+34 125K sf Above: Facility demographics of survey respondents 30% 20% 10% 0% Actual (2003-2013) Projected (2013-2023) Left: Staff Growth: Future staffing projections may be greater due to the CSI effect on future caseload projected by respondents.
Scientific Environment Above: Instrument lab with adaptable casework systems to meet the needs of new equipment and processes. The future is likely to bring changes to the basic organization of the forensic lab. According to the survey, high costs of maintaining multiple services has driven many facilities to focus on the core sections that will contribute to solving violent crimes. Therefore, high growth lab sections such as DNA, Digital Forensics, and Drug Analysis will stay on the rise. Since the mid-1980s, DNA instrumentation has consistently advanced in technology, leading to broader applications for analysis and increasingly shorter turn-around times. In fewer than 15 years, digital forensics, or computer crimes, has experienced rapid growth and change due to the development of new digital devices. Starting simply with the examination of computers and floppy disks, this laboratory section now deals with myriad items of digital evidence, including tapes, CDs, DVDs, flash drives, Blu-ray discs, cameras, cell phones, photocopiers, scanners, smartphones, and tablets. This being a digital age, the survey results project the trend to continue. Additionally, drug analysis sections will grow based on synthetic drug use and the anticipated legalization of some controlled substances. These high growth lab sections will have an impact on the staff, instrumentation needs and resulting space requirements in the Forensic Laboratory 2030. According to the survey responses, low growth laboratory sections will be Trace Evidence, Latent Prints and Questioned Documents. These sections are increasingly being consolidated into regionalized laboratories which provide for the necessary amount of caseload to maintain a workable business model and return on investment. Developing technology that allows DNA to be obtained from a latent print may limit the need for print comparisons even further. In some facilities Forensic Photography is also merging with Digital Forensics to maximize cross training and staff productivity. Forensic Laboratory 2030
External Influences Participants were surveyed about the long term effects of the 2009 Report on Forensic Science by the National Academy of Science (NAS). Among the recommendations for the standardization and improvement of forensic laboratories is the enactment of laws to create a national regulatory organization responsible for monitoring this implementation. Despite the current lack of legislation, there is a trend by many forensic laboratories to voluntarily adopt the NAS goals. In September of 2012, as a step towards operating independently of police and prosecutors, the D.C. Consolidated Forensic Laboratory initiated replacement of police officer/technicians in the Mobile Crime Scene Laboratory with certified and trained civilian technicians. This is much like the structure of labs surveyed in Canada and the United Kingdom. At least three recommendations from the NAS report have begun to have a significant effect on the administration and organization of forensic laboratories. They include: The removal of local law enforcement control over forensic laboratories, a change that results in restructuring of lab administration as well as the source of funding. Accreditation requirements for the laboratory as well as certification for the forensic analysts and technicians, requiring additional training lab spaces. Uniformity throughout the forensic community of laboratory analysis procedures and services, requiring physical adjustments and changes to accommodate new equipment and procedures. Forensic Science Challenges Responses to the future challenges within the scientific environment source of laboratory funding, management of increased test volume, recruitment of staff, operational changes in evidence handling, and innovations in technology were broad ranging with an underlying message that facilities require the capability of adapting to unforeseen changes. Planning for unknown technologies is the key in government funded laboratories for forensics, indicated Michael Thomas of the National Forensic Science Technology Center, The challenge is how to accommodate new technologies like automated analysis for DNA investigations in existing space. Specialized laboratory support, outfitted for unknown technologies, located adjacent to open laboratory. Forensic procedures and equipment are continuously evolving. Participants reported a decreased use of wet chemistry procedures and an increased use of analytical instrumentation. The use of automated instruments in Drug Chemistry, Toxicology, and DNA analyses has challenged the makeup and operational functions of these sections. Technological advances will inevitably affect the design of forensic lab facilities for the future. Respondents reported that an increased reliance on the use of automation, robotics, and instrumentation will likely continue. These advances will create a need for specialty trained technicians similar to Firearms (IBIS technicians) and Latent Prints (AFIS technicians). As instrumentation advances, additional sequencers and other
Right: Growth projection for forensic sections by order of magnitude in the year 2030. analytical equipment, unaffordable in the past, will require more space as caseloads, and individual tests, continue to increase. New technology also has space-saving advantages. Many new instruments require half of the area needed 15 years ago that allows for much needed internal growth within existing budgets and facility constraints. As instruments become more compact and hand held, scientists and investigators can utilize them directly at the crime scene, further changing the make-up of the laboratory. Spaces that were once reserved for larger equipment are being replaced with areas to maintain, calibrate, and repair portable devices. New wireless devices are resulting in faster processes and less paper. These devices will significantly reduce the need for hard copy files, while slightly increasing the space needs for secure server equipment. Instrument lab with adaptable casework systems to meet the needs of new equipment and processes. Future Preparation It is evident from results of this survey that forensic changes in the scientific environment will parallel technological innovation. These changes will have a significant effect 3x 2x on how a forensic laboratory is designed to accommodate the continuing evolution of information technology. Technology is directly related to the development of instrumentation, automation, data bases, crime scene processing, evidence handling, record keeping, as well as the growth of the lab s Digital Forensics section. The Forensic Laboratory 2030 will need to accommodate spaces for equipment that is becoming smaller, more portable, and less expensive, while considering how to accommodate emerging processes that do not currently exist. Developments in technology will influence the basic laboratory organizational structure. Some sections will require space for tremendous growth; others will experience minimal to decreasing demand, resulting in realignment with other lab sections or locations that can provide these critical services. The successful development of Forensic Laboratory 2030 involves adaptation at many levels. It involves not only monitoring the advance of technology, but also the political/legal ramifications of funding, management, and operations. In the next issue of this series, Investigation Activities will be explored and the impact that these changes have on forensic laboratory design. Opposite: Open examination spaces at the Denver Crime Laboratory provide increased flexibility, collaboration, and space efficiency. increase no change decrease 1x 0x -1x -2x Forensic Laboratory 2030
Investigation Activities The rapid pace of technological innovation has not only improved our lives in many ways, but also fundamentally changed the way that we do business. As this change occurs, standard operating procedures continue to evolve. In this chapter of Forensic Laboratory 2030, we will focus the microscope of prognostication on laboratory investigations and the activities surrounding them. Primary Activities As technology advances, investigation methods change and forensic science continues to garner interest from the public due in part to the entertainment industry s love affair of the topic the nature of the science and the primary activities of investigators will drastically evolve. Responsibilities will increasingly involve validation of field test results to produce official conclusions. As a result, scientists will need to take a greater role in advising investigative agencies as to the proper means and methods of scene preservation, evidence procurement and testing. Investigators will need to remain on the cutting edge of technology to satisfy the often unrealistic expectation of juries, a direct result of the CSI effect. Depending on the ultimate resolution of laboratory control (law enforcement vs. independent), facilities may increasingly utilize resources to perform work not directly involving the lab and be seen as centers for law enforcement technology. Evolving accreditation requirements will require greater amounts of documentation that will increase time in the office discerning results and decrease time in the lab producing them. Automation Increasing technological capacities is also leading to rising levels of automation. Ideal targets include repetitive tasks, methods involving hazards and those requiring constant focus. Reducing human involvement Forensic Laboratory 2030
not only speeds up the process, but creates an overall safer working environment for staff. Driven by a strong non-forensic market, DNA applications, such as sampling, will continue to be on the leading edge of this movement, but will not be alone. To some extent, every laboratory section will continue to see an increase in systems that allow computers to perform tasks and scientists to direct them. Automation of evidence handling systems will enable a more accurate tracking of an items location, responsible party, and current point in the investigative process. Additionally, we ll see a stronger link between scientific instruments and the documentation process, which will further remove human error from the equation and increase capacity. Computer Technologies Laptops, tablets and other wireless devices not only allow us to rent a movie on the go and book reservations at a favorite restaurant, but will continue to influence Planning for unknown technologies is the key in government funded laboratories for forensics. The challenge is how to accommodate new technologies like automated analysis for DNA investigations in existing spaces. day-to-day laboratory operations. Already a fixture in many households, these advanced computer and application technologies will weave their way into the fabric of the investigation process. Wireless infrastructure within the facility, for example, will allow for investigations to occur in a wide range of environments and enhance the ability for internal collaboration. Handwritten notes will become a bygone relic as information and records become digitally based. As covered in our first article of this series, this will reduce space required for filing physical paperwork, but increase the need for servers and other electronic storage mediums and their backup systems. The digital nature of information, and the increasing speeds at which it can be moved, will increase data transfer to a wider range of destinations. The growing use of digital photography will speed up the ability to deliver information to the laboratory for distribution and collaboration. Advancements in 3D scene documentation will provide a greater level of detail to investigators than previously available. This technology will produce 360 degree views and enable virtual distance
measurements, blood spatter trajectory analysis and detailed presentations for use in and out of the laboratory. Once the crime scene is abandoned and digital images are combined, investigators will be able to view the scene from every possible vantage point opening the doors to otherwise difficult to discern information. Items thought to be inconsequential at the scene will be able to be easily studied at a later date and shared in detail. Increased remote instrumentation control will help break the chains binding investigators to the laboratory and allow for operation and data gathering from a host of different environments. As data comparisons become more efficient, throughput capacity will also increase as a result. Ultimately, investigators will be able to produce better, more consistent results with less staff and other resources. Virtual Communication Returning to the scene of the crime? Evolving communication methods may enable a return for some to the role of crime scene investigator as opposed to that of pure forensic scientist. On-site tracking systems will allow scientists to electronically pre-log evidence before it departs the crime scene. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sample tracking systems will accelerate scanning (hundreds at a time vs. one with bar codes) and pinpoint an items current location along the investigative chain. As opposed to other tracking systems that require direct contact or line of sight to enable communication, RFID can record data, without direct view, over a range of distances depending on the power output of the device and is able to track a number of data points regarding its host. This electronic chain-of-custody will help organize and optimize evidence processing. Those auditing laboratory processes will be able to perform tasks remotely and automate certain elements. Staff will not need to leave the lab as often for presentations, meetings, conferences or even the crime scene as these elements move increasingly into a virtual environment. Increased acceptance of video testimony will lead to reduced travel and time in the courtroom. Electronic voice recognition software will simplify and speed up note taking allowing for greater connectivity between thoughts and record. Emerging Systems The emergence of new forensic laboratory equipment will not only enhance the practice of forensic science, but create new means of examination. Improvements in portable ALS devices will result in better on-scene investigations. Connected lines of instrumentation will reduce wait times for evidence results and enable faster turn around and fewer backlogs. With the Forensic Laboratory 2030
expanded array of available data points, DNA chip technology has the potential to accelerate investigations and provide more detailed information than in the past. Cost reductions and the expansion of applications for this technology will help solidify its role as an indispensable investigation tool. Database-centric systems will continue to find new applications for the technology and increase the ability for data mining to extract important information. These systems will enable scientists to uncover previously unconnected patterns and make better use of known investigative information. As recent as five years ago, tablet computers were a tried and failed technology that had yet to capture the attention of consumers. Today they are an indispensable tool for social and business activities to a great number of people. It is impossible to completely predict the ways in which industry, technology, society, government and other influences will affect the future of forensic investigation activities, but we can graph the trajectory. Advancements in equipment to support field testing will change the day-to-day responsibilities of investigators. Automation of tasks will increase safety, reliability and capacity. The increasingly digital nature of data will change how evidence is shared and investigated. Virtual communication systems will affect both time in and out of the laboratory environment. Emerging equipment and instrumentation will not only refine investigation methods, but open doors to currently unimaginable techniques. Thoughtful consideration of tomorrow s potential realities can help facilities to make smarter decisions today that create more effective environments down the road. The investigative workplace of 2030 will be dramatically different from that of today. Proper preparation will help each facility be ready when it arrives. Above: As digital storage, video testimony, and computer based visualization systems increase in importance, so will required IT provisions.
Physical Environment Above: Moveable analytical equipment benches at the Denver Crime Laboratory provide adaptation for future technologies. It is no question that significant developments in forensic science have influenced the physical laboratory environment. Advances in technology, investigation procedures, and work processes are changing the way in which laboratory spaces are conceived and planned for the future. Will this trend continue for the next 20 years? The Forensic Laboratory 2030 research findings, described in previous chapters, indicate the need to accommodate change in the laboratory environment is on a parallel track with unprecedented advancements in technology. The challenge will be to anticipate what, where and how fast change will occur while maintaining critical adaptability measures to meet the space needs of the future. The physical manifestations of adaptability will include open laboratory environments, functional zoning, consolidation of spaces and sustainable energy conservation. Primary drivers of change within the physical environment will stem from a pressure to increase the test volume and speed of response while decreasing overhead costs. Funding for laboratory facilities and staff has decreased with shrinking crime rates linked to operational budgets. However, the number of tests per crime is dramatically increasing with public expectation that juries review forensic analysis of evidence. In the future, laboratories will seek to optimize space utilization to achieve higher efficiencies in workflow, evidence throughput, and turnaround times. Staff will continue to be cross-trained to perform procedures such as pre-screening that speed the investigation process. Many forensic laboratories are reviewing the flow of evidence and operational protocols to improve the efficiency of the lab. Forensic Laboratory 2030
Technology Physical changes will be influenced by emerging scientific technologies and investigation requirements that result in unique and ever-changing space needs. As revealed in article 2 of this four-part Forensic Laboratory 2030 series, an influx of specialized electronic instruments will enter the market impacting scientific activities. This in turn will impact the physical laboratory environment. While the quantity of these devices will grow, their size will become more consolidated with advances in microchip technology, improving efficient use of laboratory bench space. Adjustable casework and use of vertical space are key components of the mobile lab bench, which can adapt to future technologies. Portable computing devices will require dedicated space for charging as well as repair and refurbishment. With the addition of space designated as R&D for products and techniques, future facilities will test leading edge processes that improve procedural effectiveness and investigative credibility. Providing adequate space for future automation will be a vital piece of the formula for faster service with fewer resources that pressures every laboratory. Future staff projections may in fact be greater than the caseload curve projected by the FL2030 survey respondents due to the CSI effect - the public s expectation of increased testing, compounded for each case. Therefore, robotic automation is projected to keep pace with shrinking resources and burgeoning test requirements. A positive outcome of increased instrumentation will be decreased use of chemicals, fume hoods and related laboratory spaces. Flexibility The majority of FL2030 survey respondents desire an increased degree of flexibility within the physical environment. Many new forensic laboratories are characterized by shared open spaces that include evidence processing, examination, analysis, and investigation. Individual support rooms are necessary for light control, containment, and decontamination; however these spaces may be shared and scheduled for use by various lab sections, such as a series of exam rooms shared by biology and trace evidence sections. To optimize the facility of the future, the laboratory must respond effectively to emerging issues. Fragmented and cellular spaces within a poorly conceived plan leads to limited productivity and high renovation costs when reorganization must occur. The ability to adapt to changes in the lab is of primary importance to the survey respondents. A majority indicated a preference for movable and adaptable casework solutions to make rapid and economical changes to their lab environment. Consideration of bench orientation, straight or U-shaped, will continue to be influenced by work process flow and assignment of benches whether by function or individual workstation.
Transparency and Collaboration While forensic sections must continue to maintain chain of custody protocols, a higher degree of physical transparency is desirable. An emerging trend in forensic design is improved connections between lab sections, offices, and public/private spaces to provide enhanced collaboration among forensic scientists and the community. An appropriate allocation of interaction space results in increased collaboration and team cohesion. Many facilities are constrained by physical conditions where minimal daylighting and access to views reduces overall staff productivity. View windows into labs and offices, as well as interaction nodes within the lab environment are programmed and planned to enhance the level of transparency and interaction. Facility tours will play an increasingly significant role in education and validation of services to meet public expectations leading to confidence of courtroom juries. With this component will be increased security measures while improving transparency at many levels within the facility design. Future labs will be much more automated, open and transparent, where a high degree of flexibility will be the key to accommodating change. Infrastructure and Energy The importance of mechanically zoning laboratories separately from offices will continue as conservation of energy resources remains of prime importance. Zoning for mechanical purposes allows for these environments to operate at highest efficiency with respect to energy usage and air change rates. This further enhances the flexibility to reconfigure the laboratory or office spaces over time as technology and functional needs change, without disrupting necessary work flows. Survey respondents reported a primary operational concern of rapidly rising energy costs, a growing need for energy conservation, and the need to develop a strategy for sustainable design. Forensic laboratories use a high amount of energy when compared to other government facility types, and therefore must conserve limited resources available to the larger community. Maximizing opportunities to improve building performance is a three-step process: reduce building loads through passive approaches; meet reduced loads using highly efficient equipment; and meet remaining loads with renewable energy sources. Forensic Laboratory 2030
A growing number of guidelines promote the long term goal of sustainability and energy independence in a building. Initiatives such as the US Green Building Council s LEED certification, the American Institute of Architect s Building 2030 Challenge, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory s Net Zero Building initiative, and the Living Building Institute s Living Building Challenge have all played a major role in advancing sustainable design. However, certification alone is not the end goal. The long term challenge for the laboratory will be to focus on facility performance and incorporating regional energy strategies into an appropriate solution. Three-step methodology for improving building energy efficiency: According to Dave Riley toxicologist, project manager and scientific lead for the new Ontario Centre of Forensic Sciences, where SmithGroupJJR set the schematic design direction future labs will be much more automated, open, and transparent, where a high degree of flexibility will be the key to accommodating change. This will be due to the variability of services provided (and afforded by the agency), technological advances in equipment, and new workplace strategies for staffing and collaboration. A facility that can be reconfigured easily for these changes is accomplished by having an organized planning concept and open spaces with flexible furnishings. The successful Forensic Laboratory 2030 therefore will be characterized by an efficient and cost effective facility that maximizes adaptability for future change. Typical Building Energy Consumption Specify Efficient Equipment High Efficiency Lighting Chilled Beams Energy Recovery Reduced Building Loads Smart Envelope Good Orientation Solar Shading Use Renewable Energy Harvest Daylight Solar Trough Collectors Photovoltaics
Workplace Activities If you ask 100 lab directors what type of facility will meet their forensic science needs, you will get 100 different answers. As challenging as it is to anticipate future workplace trends, it can be equally difficult to identify common facility solutions. Without a doubt, the forensic laboratory of 2030 will face challenges that are not only unique, but unknown today. Therefore the development of a planning vision for a future facility is critical to conceiving the infrastructure necessary to enable it. This final chapter of the FL2030 series will explore important workplace trends and work/life drivers. Workplace Drivers The demographics of today s workforce is undergoing a significant change. Baby Boomers (1946 1964) make up 40% of the workforce and Millennials, or Generation-Y, (1977 1992) represent slightly over 30%. By the year 2030, Millennials are projected to make up more than 40% and sit in more influential positions 1 (see charts on the following pages). This will bring about a change in the workplace environment as Millennials bring with them a different approach to work activities. In general, this generation is accustomed to team collaboration, consensus decision-making, and blending of work/ life in their workplace which is an extension of their identity. In addition to demographics, other workplace activities are changing forensic facility design. Office and administrative functions continue to move out of the laboratory for health and safety measures. As a result, there are opportunities to create shared, hazard-free office environments that promote collaboration and contribute to increased findings between sections. Underutilized office space can be reallocated as flexible offices and varying team spaces for informal to private workplace activities. Forensic Laboratory 2030
Increasingly, the importance of staff wellbeing has led to increased daylighting, living rooms can provide valuable shared scientific exchange. Break rooms and facility transparency and ergonomic improvements space with seating choices and technology in the forensic workplace. This elevates options to build team unity in casual interaction zones. Amenities should not be limited productivity and efficiency as well as staff recruitment and retention. As described in to collaboration spaces. Fitness, daycare, and Article 3 on Physical Environment, a modular convenience items can be incorporated into and flexible approach to work space helps the facility or be co-located within walking facilities to make effective adaptations in the distance through purposeful planning or site short and long term. selection, which will aid staff to coordinate Work/Life Traditional lines separating work and personal life are increasingly disappearing. Driven by new attitudes about the workplace and enabled by technology, Millennials and their colleagues increasingly thrive in a variety of environments outside of the standard office. According to the FL2030 survey results, facilities recognize the benefits of supporting this blurring of workplace activities. By establishing both virtual and real connectivity points, the forensic laboratory can encourage interaction among staff with access to information and comfortable 15+20+20+20+15+10+A gathering areas for shared learning and 55-64 45-54 65+ B a b y 2010 16-24 M i l 35-44 l e n n i a l s 25-34 personal necessities with ongoing work tasks. With all of the increased interaction and shared work environments, facilities will still need to create space for individual work and contemplation as well. Providing a range of shared spaces, formal and informal, large and small, will maximize opportunities to accommodate a number of work tasks by responding to a range of situations. Participants in FL2030 also anticipate that the culture of collaboration will extend between agencies, creating a unified system of forensic science that consistently shares ideas and improves forensic investigation. B o o m e r s12+22+22+22+15+7+a l s 45-54 55-64 i a 65+ Baby Boomers l e n n 2030 l i M 16-24 35-44 25-34 Left: Labor Force by Age 1
Conclusion Above: View windows at the Houston Customs and Border Patrol Southwest Regional Science Center create transparency in corridors and between laboratories. Opposite: Forensic laboratory challenges identified by survey respondents. The FL2030 participants were asked for their vision of the Forensic Laboratory of the future. They forecast a workplace with greater efficiencies in organizational structure, operations, technology, and facility planning. They anticipated that FL2030 will have established cooperative agreements between jurisdictions leading to better utilization of resources and expertise in addition to faster response times. Also, a facility focus on specific disciplines of excellence will permit available funding to have an increased impact on investigations. This will result in partnerships with other laboratories who have concentrated their efforts on complimentary areas. Internal operations will also be vastly improved. Forensic scientists will maintain a closer relationship with the crime scene that will effectively increase the collection of critical information, further enabled by advanced field instrumentation. It is anticipated that advancements in technology will allow scientists to produce qualitative results in a reduced time frame. Respondents believe that investments in R&D at the individual facility level will also enhance forensic capabilities and credibility. Similarly, research into process flow at both the management and evidence level is anticipated to help the laboratory workplace to operate more efficiently. A unified vision for FL2030 facilities is to have improved energy efficiencies that are coupled with the highest level of safety systems. Facility planning that creates opportunities for workplaces to adapt over time will be better prepared to meet changing staff needs, legal responsibilities and laboratory requirements. These considerations are important components of an organizational strategy that accommodates budgets, technology, and the evolving ways in which work will be conducted. Forensic Laboratory 2030
employees, forensic labs can maximize their Challenges space utilization within budget constraints. The FL2030 survey participants were asked to state their biggest challenges for the future. Results were wide ranging; however the most common and significant responses centered on understanding and procuring the right kind of facility designed to meet future needs and requirements. Most labs expected the From conviction of the guilty to exoneration of the innocent, and all points in between, forensic science has the potential to directly touch the life of each individual on the planet. To maximize this impact and effectiveness, it is important to understand the ways in which challenges of forensic laboratories are unique PROVING SCIENTIFIC BASIS STAFFING securing appropriate resources in their needs FIELD INSTRUMENT CALIBRATION & REPAIR and maintaining and operation. adequate staff Understanding FUNDING EVIDENCE HANDLING to continue. the trajectories Others included of current facility MANAGING SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF INVESTIGATION expansion of workplace environments helps to workplace COORDINATION OF EVIDENCE capabilities, formulate new directions turnaround of examined evidence, and doing more with less. On a broader level, the challenge of improving the justice system and creation of a central forensic laboratory system was also mentioned. Keeping pace with and better anticipating future change was also listed as an ongoing challenge. of think- ing. Consideration of appropriate workplace environments helps retain and attract the best personnel. Visioning the ideal laboratory provides insight on how facilities can better operate. High expectations help ensure a constant re-evaluation of standards. Without a crystal ball to point to what the future holds, it is important that all facilities, Of critical importance is that the forensic whether existing, renovated or new, consider science industry continues to re-examine what challenges and opportunities lie ahead itself to work smarter and faster in order to and prepare to meet those issues for FL2030. meet the complex challenges of tomorrow. Accomplishing this requires an in-depth assessment of current systems and processes References to determine underutilized resources and optimization strategies along with an understanding of future accreditation and funding demands. By creating highly efficient facilities that accommodate and inspire their 1. Toosi, M. (2006). A look at long-term labor force projections to 2050. Washington, DC: Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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